The Devils Name is Arkham: Part 3
by Dresner1817
Summary: Harley goes on a mission to Arkham Asylum on the trail of Karl Dael. After his crimes during the wake of Operation Savior, it's time to end his life once and for all. But Batman won't allow her to take the life of another. It's up to him to stop her before the unthinkable happens. This night has tested their love, but will it break them? Bman X HQ. Batman: Arkham Knight FF. R&R
1. Prologue

_**After three months of Basic Traning, I, Dresner, have returned for only 16 days to bring you the Prologue to the long awaited DNA Part 3. For this you will 85% of the time see Batman and Harley Pairing in the story of Arkham Knight along with some of my OC. But this story will have more depth once I get Arkham Knight in June and more Harley content. I hope you enjoy as I tell this story from the view of Harley and Batman's observation of her during the events of Arkham Knight.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**With Love ~Dresner**_

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><p><em><strong>Arkham Asylum, Three hours after the Events of Operation Savior...<strong>_

Harley walked through the destroyed gates of Arkham Asylum with a sight of pure devastation. But instead of arriving against her will in chains or the wondrous straitjacket she came so accustom to in her years as the psychotic pseudo-wife of Gotham city's most colorful incarnation of Satan himself, the Joker, No, this time she came willingly on a task she would rather not contemplate. The heavy framed Mauser pistol in her hand forced her not to question why she was here and who she was hunting...

The owner of this particular piece had cause so much death with this gun during his stay on this earth, Death that even the Joker would have called loathsome even at his standards at best. Harley only heard stories of his brutality, his murders, his crimes... After this night she finally witnessed first hand his lack of humanity, his lack of compassion, and his need to be whipped from the face of this forsaken earth. His merciless brutality defines more as a savage rather than the hero as some of Gotham Cities remaining population refereed to him as. Batman knew of his crimes and tried to bring him to justice, but the Black Hunter, just like the snake he was, shed his skin of darkness for that of the light. The Arkham Knight and Scarecrow held his attention more than the Hunter.

But Harley knew better...

Around the destroyed gates were the burning hulls of the Arkham Knight's tanks and aerial drones, the blood soaked grounds littered with the bodies of the Knight's militia, and an endless sea of brass casings and bullet holes. Heavy rain turned the cobblestone driveway into the red sea as the fresh blood of the Arkham Knight's fallen comrades pooled in the shell holes and drops leading out of Arkham Asylum. Small fires burned around the grounds and gushed out of the windows of Arkham Asylum's main entrance. Overgrowth that was left by Poison Ivy over two years ago was still present across the Island, even after the half ass clean up by the Sharp administration and the TYGER security firm, and the Arkham facility. The sight of destruction blending in the beautiful vines and Arkham Asylum's ghostly and intimidating construction amused and frightened Harley Quinn, as did the sea of blood rushing passed her feet.

"_He's here..." _She thought to herself as she gazed at the horror of war. "_I can feel him in the air... He's in there."_

Across the yard passed the fallen security towers and bodies of both the staff and the AK militia she saw the heavy security doors to Asylum were blown open into the intensive treatment center. She looked to her left to see a burning tank with it's large main gun pointed toward where the door was suppose to stand.

In her mind she could see him at work, Slaughtering the guards, turning their own weapons against them, and breaking into the asylum. How he did it was only that of pure luck on his part...

Harley could only imagine what he would do if she could find him in that accursed asylum. She looked down to the ground to clear her thoughts, but the sea of blood racing over her elf like doc martins didn't help her case. Looking forward once more toward the grim sight of Arkham Asylum a thunderous streak of lightening raced across the sky painting an even darker and striking picture. Harley jumped from the loud crash of the lightening and the demonic sight before her.

She leaped toward the grass where a burned tree stood and took cover from the frightful scene before her. Harley threw herself into a ball at the base of the tree in an attempt in some childish way to make the horror before her to disappear, But escaping into her mind only made it worse as the memories of the Joker rose from the dead like a zombie to terrorize her further.

_"Whats wrong kiddo, Scared are we?!" _The joyous screech of the Joker's voice echoed through her mind. "_You scared of the big bad man in black? Hard to believe your scared of a big man in black, after all you are riding batsy's manhood. I thought you like tall dark and brooding instead of tall clownish and fun smucks like me? Looks like this guy seems to be to much for my little Harlequin._

_"I AIN'T YA HARLEY!"_ Harley Screamed at the top of her lungs. "I AIN'T SCARED OF HIM OR YOUSE EITHER!" She remembered the gun in her hand and she surged forward toward the open door at break neck speed determined to find and kill the Black Hunter once and for all. The blood soaked puddles covered the black skirt she wore with her knew outfit as she rushed through the endless river of red until entering the long hall toward the inner of the asylum and toward the gates of hell itself...

Around her were the remains of Arkham's security detail and the Arkham Knight's militia littered the long dimly lit hall. The amber lights only gave so much light, leading Harley to scavenge a large mag light flash light from one of the fallen Arkham Security staff. To much of her luck and dismay the body she scavenged the light from was a senior security staff officer who also carried Security Key Cards and a PDA containing a full report on the Asylum's operational status, including a warning regarding a breech in the extreme isolation wing deep within the Asylum.

"Warning: Patient 227, AKA Poison Ivy, chamber has been breached. All Units report to the Extreme Isolation ASAP ~Warden." Harley read off the screen. "Why did Crane want her here so bad?..."

She didn't wait for the dead to answer and moved on, her wet boots squeaking together as she walked toward another security door covered in blood and dotted with destroyed security cameras. As the Harlequin drew closer to the door she could feel the presence of another with in its walls, another pair of eyes gazing on her from the shadows.

"I know your there baby." Harley said with slight relief as she gazed into the shadows. "You can't hide from me anymore, you know?"

From the shadows came the figure of her lover, Batman. He stood darkly in the middle of the hall, his new Bat suit, based off of a design in the plans given to him by an old associate, dripping wet from the heavy rain outside. The stone like face held its form as he let out a sigh, "You know you can't do this. I know what your planning."

"So what?" Harley replied rudely talking with her hands and shrugging her shoulders. "This guy is nothing but trouble and you fucking know it! I love you Bats, but I can't just stand on the sidelines after what I've seen him do... What he did to those people... Was.. Was..."

The horror in her voice told Bruce all he needed to know, But he stood by his code. Even though Harley was his true love and would do anything on earth to please her, he could sell out his morals just to quench her lust for the blood of the wicked.

"I know what he did and he will be brought to justice. The system in place will-"

"The same system that kept J on the streets? The same system that kept the culprit who murdered your folks away from the electric chair? The same system that kept me crazy and around that fucking clown?" Harley shouted with ferocious hatred. Harley loved Bruce, but she despised his need to let the corrupt system of justice in Gotham to handle the rest. The Arkham Knight was right, The Black Hunter was right, and Jason Todd was Right too. The only way to end the problem in Gotham is by the barrel of a gun.

"You don't understand, you never did." Batman responded coolly. The response was harsh, magnified by his complete disappointment in her, cut into her skin like the blades of the Joker's knifes and his insults. She wanted cry, Bruce never said something like that before. Sure when he couldn't cope with the death of the Joker he would do things that hurt her feelings, but to simply say he was disappointed in her was something that tipped her already fragile psyche. Without her saner side, Harleen, whisked away by Scarecrow's new fear toxin only hours before, Harley struck Batman with the side of the heavy pistol just as she closed in with Batman. The blow caught him off guard and Harley, thanks to the training she received by Bruce and Tim over the last year, acted quickly and took his smoke pellets and EMP transmitter. She threw the smoke on the ground and activated a small blast to shut down Batman's Cowl so she could escape into the Asylum.

With one last swift kick, Harley bent down to kiss Batman on the lips before running out of the cloud of smoke and into the asylum.

"Come and get me Bats! Just like old times!" She yelled as she cartwheeled out of the hall and into the depths of Arkham Asylum. Before Batman could leap to his feet, she shut the doors behind her...

But what she didn't realize was that not only did she shut the door to the Intensive treatment center, but she sent the entire Island on lock down...

Locking herself into the asylum with the Black Hunter...

"Bruce! What's happening?! Your suit is fading in and out of signal!" Oracle called frantically from the headset built into his cowl.

"I'm fine." Batman growled as he picked himself up from the ground. "Harley... She's going after Karl in the Asylum. Can you get the override protocols to open the doors?"

"I'll try but-"

"I don't want you to try, I demand you do it. Harley is in there with a mad man and I can't allow another beloved fall." Batman said firmly, cutting off the transmission.

"I'm coming Harleen..."


	2. Chapter 1: The Calm before the Storm

_**Hey guys, Happy New Year and I welcome 2015 with Chapter 1 of DNA Part 3. Ok so this will be on hold as of the 3rd of Jan due to my return to training and will be until Arkham Knights release in June of 2015. I hope you enjoy this and I wish you all a happy new year**_

_**With Love ~Dresner**_

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><p><strong><em>Wayne Manor, Three weeks before Operation Savior...<em>**

She laid awake watching the clouds slowly pass by the moon. The young blonde gave a melancholy sigh as she fixed the strap on her red and black lace lingerie.

"Where is he?" Harleen asked herself checking the time on her smart phone. The time was 3:40am, the usual time he would return home after a patrol in the safer Gotham area following the fall of Arkham City and the up rooting of the vast conspiracy that lead to the creation of Arkham City. The death of the Joker was the final building block of this new Gotham, a building block that Harley, even after a year of self psychological aid and the help of Bruce, her boyfriend, hated to think about. With his presence no long an issue in Gotham, the criminal elements, a large majority belonging to the Joker Gang, went into hiding or simply left the state to escape the wrath of Batman and the highly motivated GCPD. Some were rounded up and sent back to Arkham Asylum or to Blackgate, But some paid off the GCPD and went into hiding like that of the Penguin or the various crime families.

Peace has finally came to Gotham, but it's protector, the legendary Dark Knight, will never rest. Harley Quinn, His former enemy, now Girlfriend, wished he would take this time to rest after the hell he's gone through following Arkham City and the Green Mile. But something just didn't feel right to him. Maybe it was because Halloween was coming up, a day that held a second meaning for Bruce as the Joker used this night for an old 'gag' evolving Jack-o-Lantern bombs and poisonous candy. It wasn't his biggest exploit, but it was still a day that Batman couldn't shelve. She noticed he was thinking a lot about Mista J, as was she regrettably, and it made him rather blue and even more reserved than usual. Alfred even commented on some occasions of him acting strangely. The old English butler recalled many a time when he would be in the batcave scrolling through the Joker's extensive file as if he was a priest studying biblical texts. For days he would read the texts over and over again until he could recite them word for word, it was disturbing even for Harley's tastes. When he wasn't on the Batcomputer he was out on the streets fighting whatever crime remained and looking for who ever stole the remaining half of the information on Seventh Wave. Karl proved to be useless in the situation as he would either be working on the batmoblie, at the bar, or with Ivy at a place he called 'The Farm'.  
>He too never spoke much about the Joker or about what happen in Arkham City, But rumors circulated around Gotham's underworld suggested that he murdered his Brother and Sister out of a blood rage. She had her doubts, but if it were true it sure as hell gave Bruce a reason to throw him in Arkham or Blackgate. Sure he gave them invaluable information on a coming attack, but he didn't give any names, dates, or even a paper trail. Only details on the firepower fielded by the Seventh Wave system and that Waller was its creator, but for all they knew the bitch could have planted this information to lead them off from a even larger plan.<p>

Waller wasn't stupid and they all knew her capabilities...

But that was above Harley's thinking right now... Bruce was her main concern. She dialed the direct number to his communicator, but their wasn't an answer. In a rage she ran to the closet to change so she could go out into the night to find him. From the close she came out in a pair of red tight fitting jeans, white tank top, Black high heeled dress boots, and a black dress coat with her trademark Black and red diamonds on the back with her hair in a long pony tail. In the coat was a switchblade and a 10mm Glock 29 in case she couldn't handle herself. Bruce didn't know of the Glock, but Karl did as he was the one who bought it for her. Though Karl was temporarily working for Bruce under the agreement that he would keep Ivy out of Arkham if Karl kept her under control and aided him in the building of the new Batmoblie. It kept him from causing more chaos around the world and at ease, something that the once bright psychologist brought up on more than once to the Black Hunter. But Karl didn't care, he never did if it didn't suit his means.

"Hmmm," She thought to herself. "Maybe that Crazy Kraut knows whats up with my boo?"

Harley made her way through the large manor and toward the study where the entrance to the batcave was hidden. She passed by Alfred who was busy preparing a large plate of sandwiches and coffee.

"Ms. Quinzel," The English Butler said with faint surprise. "Your up rather early this fine morning. How was your slumber?"

"Didn't get any. I've been waiting for Brucey for the last few hours..." She said with a yawn as she grabbed a cup of coffee from the tray.

"My dear you better not drink that concoction that master Karl requested!" Alfred warned her as she took a drink. Only to spit it back into the cup with a sour expression.

"Bleh! What is this, kerosene!?" She exclaimed.

"Colombian espresso with a touch of Stolichnaya and Jack Danial's, Bleh." Alfred replied sickeningly. "He calls it 'Diesel' of all things. I might as well have gone to the local petrol station and poured him actual cup of it."

"Shesh! Ain't that the truth!" Harley replied as she opened the door to the stair case leading to the batcave. The long pathway leading the the cave never ceased to amaze Harley with its beauty as it passed through a large underground waterfall and across an underground river. Once passed the beauty of the waterfall and the river they found themselves in a larger cave full of computers, platforms, training center, a car deck containing various futuristic cars, and a medical wing. The Batcave was the dream of ever great detective throughout the world, but could never have. The Harlequin and the Butler began to walk on metal as they reached the platform leading toward the car deck where they saw the giant figure of Karl Dael working tirelessly on the Batmoblie in oil and grease covered overalls talking to Bruce who was clad in a robe, Which pissed off Harley to no end.

"Just chit chatting away eh? Talkin to that creep, are ya? LEAVING ME ALONE, ARE YA?!" She screamed in her mind until her face turned rose red. Her boots stomped against the metal floor as her rage grew and grew. But something stopped her in her tracks as the muffed growls of the two men arguing caught her ears. She couldn't here anything pertaining to the argument, but what happen next surprised her.

Karl left without a word said...Something that never happen after he and Bruce got into an argument.

"Bruce!" Harley called as she rushed to him. He greeted her without hesitation and apologized promptly as he watched Karl gather up his things from a near by workbench.

"Honey! I'm sorry for not coming up sooner." Bruce apologized as he tighten the rope around his waste. "Karl and I were discussing a-"

"Don't bullshit me." Harley remarked in a bitchy tone. "Where's he going?"

"Mr. Dael is gone. Gone for good." Bruce replied with a slight smirk knowing Harley would be overjoyed. Overjoyed was an understatement as she jumped into his arms kissing him.

Bruce laughed as she thanked him over and over again, he could help but smile, smile because she must have completely forgotten that he was gone longer than her told her.

"Honey are you still mad at me?" Bruce asked her.

"For what snookums?" Harley asked aloofly.

"Nothing dear." He replied with a smirk. Harley chuckled and turned to look at Karl as he cleaned up his work bench.

"Thats right Kraut! Clean your shit up and get outta here! Big B says so!" Harley chastised him, Karl only replied with a chuckle as he gathered his things into a duffle bag. "Keeping laughing bub! Laugh yourself back to the streets were you belong! Oh and make sure the door don't hit cha when ya leave!"

But he didn't reply as he threw the bag over his shoulder with a sinister grin on his face. The look in his eyes foreshadowed a night that would one day shake Gotham to its very core...

'_We'll see...' _Echoed through her mind as she briefly caught his gaze...

We'll see...

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><p><strong><em>Present day, Arkham Asylum:<em>**

She should stopped him right then...

But she wasn't as far sighted as some...

Now here she was hunting one of the most dangerous men in the world in an abandoned Asylum.

_'This wasn't how this was suppose to happen.' _Harley thought to herself as she slowly scans the halls of the Intensive treatment center with the heavy Mauser pistol.

Her footsteps echoed throughout the war torn treatment center. The walls were stained with the blood of the last takeover over two years ago by the Joker. Bullet holes still covered the wall even after all this time, even the stench of death was still present. It was strange coming back to the asylum after almost two years of being declared legally sane by the shrinks of Arkham. For all her years as Harley Quinn, she felt strangely at home here in the Asylum. After all it might as well had been her home for all the times Batman and his family brought her here time and time again. But Harleen hated this place with every form of her existence...

This was the place where she became the Jokers play thing...

Her rage turned into a burning flame that kept her warm in the cold conditions of Arkham, its what kept her alive, or at least keep Harleen alive and well in the Asylum. The Asylum seemed colder than usual and the air felt more alive than ever before. The stench of blood and shattered hopes vanished and replaced with the sweet smell of flowers and raspberries.

She took a whiff and with glee she called out uncontrollably "Ivy!" at the top of her lungs before surging forward toward the scanning area. To her surprise she found this part of the center was flooded completely with large vines sticking out of the windows and sides of the building to feed their thirst. Over the large body of water she could see a security office with a working terminal and security cameras.

"Maybe I can find that freak on camera..." She whispered. "I hope he hasn't gotten to Ivy..."

With little effort she launched herself on to the catwalk using her experience as a gymnast, a trait that helped her in her adventures with the Dark Knight across the roof tops and streets of Gotham. Landing on the catwalk with ease, she made her way into the security room where the faint blue glare of the computer screen filled the dim room with light. Using her old log in and ID from her time as a psychologist at Arkham, which surprised her that Sharpie didn't lock her out after all these years, Harley accessed the Arkham system and gained a brief view on the security feed.

From what she could see on the live feed the asylum's lower portions were taken over by Ivy's plants. It didn't surprise her since the clean up effort for Ivy's TITAN fueled rampage two years was more half ass'ed than her brother's attempt at getting a job back home. Through the jungle she accessed the maintenance system to find that a majority of the lower levels were flooded from the high tides of the Gotham River and the flooding following Hugo Strange's attempt to cover his crimes. But what was strange about the feed was that some of the plants were rather foreign for Ivy's tastes. They seemed off by some standards and rather Alien in appearance, and somewhat alive...

The feed soon became scratchy and unrecognizable as a tall figure clad in a ripped hooded black coat rushed in with a Krinkov and began opening fire on the strange plants, killing them in a hail of incendiary bullets. Once he finished unloading on the rifle he turned on the camera, killing the feed instantly on not only one, but all lower level cameras.

"Shit!" Harley cursed, slamming her fists on the key board. "Fucker cut me off!"

She looked out into the dark waters around her and back to the monitor. "He's going after Ivy..." She thought to herself. "I can't let him take her away like he did to Kitty. I can't let'em..."

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><p>Harley tucked the pistol into her belt and dived into the inky black water to the lower levels of Arkham, using the various air pockets and hidden rooms as her only source of air to continue on. But as time went on she found her way to lower levels of the asylum's isolation chambers below the penitentiary. As she surfaced she found herself in one of the large cells where the insane members of Arkham's population would howl and scream for hours on end. The room was covered utterly in foliage and vines giving off the feel of a amazon rain forest, even the sprinklers sprayed a fine mist which only added to the ambiance. It was beautiful, but before she could even begin to admire the beauty of the room as a TV came alive with in her cell and the image of Karl Dael grabbed her attention eminently.<p>

"My, oh my..." The evil figure whispered as he gazed at her from the Television screen. "You lived through his assaults? Hmm, Amusing..."

Harley chuckled, trying to blunt hit ego, "You think that Batty wannabe could stop us?"

"Not really," Karl replied frankly. "The Arkham Knight was his match, his equal, just like your Joker was long ago. But stopping him? Please, even that beast of a woman Waller couldn't stop him. No... This was planned as was everything leading to this night. But you, my dear, dear, dear Harley Quinn, I wanted you here for one simple reason..."

"Don't. Call Me. Harley." She hissed hatefully.

Karl smirked, putting his hands in a pyramid fashion as he glared at her insidiously. She always insisted that they would call her Harley, but not him. Oh no never him... The hate in his eyes could only match the madness in his damaged psyche as he looked into her innocent eyes. Harleen was beautiful, even in clown makeup, and even in his damaged state of mind he pitted her.

A young, beautiful, vulnerable woman placed in the invidious position of working among arrogant men hell bent on their own obsessions with reality. A woman who tried time and time again to help a murderous psychopathic bring peace to his chaotic life and bring some idea of normalcy to their lives. Pity was the only emotion he could feel for her...

It disturbed him to his very core... Maybe this was his very first 'Human' victim...

"My apologizes, Ms. Quinzel." Karl replied in a gentlemanly tone. "But It seems I can not break old habits. Now back to topic at hand, Why are you here?"

"Shut your dirty fucking mouth." Harley growled. "You know why the fuck I'm here!"

"Returning my gun won't win you any favors with me, my dear. But it will help your case once I finish my work here in Arkham." Karl replied nonchalantly as he fixed his torn coat.

"You won't leave this place alive pal..." Harley replied coldly.

Karl only smirked and stared at her on screen, "Then prove me wrong." He said before Harley shot the TV screen, killing the feed.

Karl stood up from the chair in the security office in the lower levels of the penitentiary and gazed out the windows toward a long walk way leading through a tunnel of vines. He lite a cigarette before taking the stairs down toward the holding area where Ivy was kept safe during this turbulent ordeal.

"Come and see darling... Come and see..."


	3. Chapter 2: Thinking Back

_**Hello everyone! Sorry for the long wait! A mix of being away for five months and getting use to my new unit is taking away a lot of my time. But luckily I can find the time to write for you all! Now I know Arkham Knight isn't out yet but I'm working with a mix of my own imagination, rumors, and some bits from the gameplay regarding the game. I can't wait to get it since I have a Xbox One so it shall be a eye opening game. Now there will be Bruce and Harley bits, but first we must have some story to work through. **_

_**So hold on for a bit and enjoy the ride, eh?**_

_**With Love ~Dresner**_

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><p><strong><em>Solitary confinementExtreme Isolation wing, Arkham Asylum:_**

Karl threw the Krinkov over his shoulder as he enjoyed his cigarette on his stroll through Ivy's green lane toward her cell. The joy filled grin he wore when toying with Harley disappeared as the smell of wintergreen and pine forests filled his nose. Depression had many stages...

For some their was loss of hope and happiness, tension and anxiety, Irritability or Fear...

But for Karl, Anger was the only thing he could feel. The rage built over the course of several years finally spilled over into the pit that was Gotham City. It guided him through Gotham along with his temper and emptiness...

As he walked on he fired the mini Kalash on the estrange flowers, killing them before he reached Ivy.

'_What happen to you?...' The voice of a young girl asked him._

"What do you mean?" Karl asked the voice.

'_Don't play dumb honey... What happen to you? What happen to the Karl I knew?'_

Karl stopped briefly to gather his thoughts, but he refused to answer her. He only continued on down the long jungle hallway until he reached a large steel door marked with the symbol of the Arkham Knight. The sight of the door brought about an overwhelming feeling of dark joy in his earth. He walked toward the security pad and typed in the code with hast, but soon the cold barrel of his own gun was pressed against his back.

"Your late Ms. Quinn." Karl responded as he turned around to face her. Harley replied with a harsh pistol whip to his face and a kick to the ribs as soon as he landed on the ground. Harley cut the sling on his Kalash and took his remaining Mauser pistol tossing both across the room.

"You ever heard of being fashionably late bozo?" Harley sneered.

"Indeed!" Karl shouted with a chuckle, kicking her on to the ground and liberated his remaining side arm from Harley's hands. "But it's very unprofessional."

Picked herself off the ground only to be met by the sight of death staring her in the face. But she wasn't afraid... The pistol was shaking in his hand as she stumbled to her feet.

"I never thought this day would come. But it seems that you just couldn't let me finish what I started..." Karl hissed. "It was always you who would always fuck up our work. Always the one who would go off the deep end when things got a little hairy or that damn clown of yours would bury himself back into your little mind. But it seems those days are over now..."

He threw the gun on the floor and kicked it to Harley's feet. Harley looked at the gun and back to him as he gazed at her intensely. She was confused at the act and quickly placed her hand on the gun, bracing herself for the inevitable heavy boot to crush her hand. But it didn't come.

"Things change over time," Karl replied in a quiet reminiscent tone as he walked toward the security door. "But the more things change, the more they seem the same. Don't you agree?"

Harley leaped to her feet and cocked the hammer on the Mauser pistol. "Time ain't gonna mean much for you when I get done with you. But I gotta know Fritzy, What happen in Gotham that made you so crazy?"

Karl sighed as he ran his hand against the metal door, taking in its warm touch against his fingers. With a sigh he turned to face her with a cold and almost sad glare.

"It never happened here, but long ago in another city, as city that was suppose to be safe." He spoke ruffly. "But no where in this world is safe... Not even for those who passed through the gates of hell itself... The world has never been so cruel to us... Don't you think? Taking away our loved ones without even a second thought. The gods have no pity for us mortals..."

"Guess you never knew Mister J's way of loving me?" Harley replied half jokingly, recalling the years of abuse by the Joker. "Besides, whose the tramp that could ever love a mug like you?"

Karl's face turned hostile as he turned to face Harley, but soon faded away with a slight half heart grin. "Your Ignorance only gives way to your insolence, Ms. Quinnzel." He hissed, cocking his head strangely. "But I'll overlook your ignorance..." He turned away from her and with the flick of his gloved wrist, the large door opened revealing a large elevator. She had never seen or heard of this addition to Arkham Asylums already over stretched construction in all her years working and serving her countless prison terms.

The tall grim arm of the Black hunter extended toward her with an open palm. His face bore a small friendly smirk and honest eyes as he spoke to her in the kindest of tones, "Will you join me?"

Harley hesitated at first, but only responded by raising the heavy pistol to Karl's head. "Fucking tell me why you did what you did in Gotham and I'm consider not blowing your brains out all over Ivy's plants."

Karl let out a brief condescending chuckle, "My dear child, Haven't you ever taken a brief walk to clear your thoughts? This little stroll to Ivy's humble home will answer all your questions and let you unleash your deepest desires without interference from our lovely man in black." He closed in on her until the barrel of the gun was pressed against his chest. "Will you come with me?"

She held her ground and pushed him back only an inch to give some room between her and the Hunter. But even she knew that Karl's reach was farther reaching than just a few inches. "Yeah, as long as I'm the one with the gun." She replied motioning him to the elevator with the pistol.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, my dear." Karl replied ominously as he did an about-face and stepped into the elevator. Harley reluctantly followed him into the rather cramped elevator. There was enough room for what seemed to be ten people, but his presence seemed to fill the room around her. She stayed just far enough from him to pull the trigger and not get blood all over her outfit. Karl, who noticed her movement toward his rear, allowed her to get her distance. It wasn't like the both of them would be coming back after this visit with Pamela Isley.

"Tighten your grip and fix your stance or else that Seven-Six-Three with knock you on your beautiful little arse." Karl told her as he pushed the button to descend down into the depths of Arkham and placed his hands placed behind his back. Harley growled and tighten her grip on the pistol as she kept her eyes on his hands as the elevator descended. She couldn't help but notice the tattered condition of his clothing as the bright seconds of light from the elevator shaft grazed over them. His long black coat was cut to his knees revealing a ripped and blood stained pair of Scorpion ACU trouser, scuffed and burned black combat boots, and a torn dark grey turtle neck. Over his coat was a light combat loading of two pistol holsters, a sheath for his trench knife, which was missing, a small messenger bag that contained a few magazines for his AKSU, and he was missing his classic Panzer cap. All were in poor condition, as was Karl himself who seemed pale in comparison to the last few encounters. He seemed older as well as she could see some shades of grey in his once jet black hair, Maybe time was catching up with him. She couldn't help but pity the Black Hunter like one would pity a stray animal but she soon snapped out of it as she reminded herself who was stand before her.

"Start talking." Harley growled, keeping her gun trained on him.

The Black hunter gave a crooked smile as he turned his attention to the Harlequin to begin. With a deep breath he began as the sound of the creaking of the elevator echoed throughout the elevator shaft.

"Every story has a beginning and a end. The rest is a series of events leading to a conclusion..." Karl began darkly. "But there are some rule that must be understood before we begin. The primary rule is time... A commodity that neither of us have at this point... Because of this I must ask, How much do you know?"

"I know enough to know you've been Waller's bitch boy since we met!" Harley shouted, only to regain her composer moments later. "I know enough, I'll say that."

"Then I must dash all the knowledge, or should I say assumptions, you've gathered over the night." Karl replied arrogantly. "Nothing is what it seems... The Asylum, Scarecrow, Waller, Ra's Al Ghul, Bruce, You, Me... Just pawns in a global chest game. I'm surprised you didn't pick up on it long ago."

"What?" Harley asked confused at what Karl meant.

He rolled his eyes and snorted at her short term memory. Maybe she would remember if he mentioned Caracas..

"Caracas, Venezuela, 2 June 2009. Case Blue, AR-00832, handed down from the D.O.D from the president of the United States of America to Director Amanda 'The Wall' Waller of the Central Intelligence Agency, who I might add is, Even after the attempt on her life, the head of ARGUS and Task Force X for Operation Arrow: The Assassination of General Marcela Acosta, The Leader of the Far-Left 'VZRA'. A monumental failure that ended with the deaths of Stalnoivolk, Outlaw, and Wildcat." Karl replied as if he was reading off a government document. "Does that ring a bell?"

Harley paused to process the information only to reply with a confused expression. Then it hit her like a bolt of lightening...

"Arrow..." She replied in a faint and cold whisper as fear filled her body. "Yeah... It-It does..."

"Then you remember why it failed, yes?" Karl asked her in just a serious of tone.

"We were made..."

Karl nodded with a dark smirk, "Exactly and do you know what happen after we were made?"

The memory tore through her like a bullet in her back, and for good reason as it was her second mission with Karl, who at the time was still reeling from the failure of their assault on Arkham Asylum and returned her to the Squad. Her level of resentment toward him was at an all time high from everyone in the squad due to his tendency to go on his own. The memory was blurry, but soon the sounds of machine gun round zipping past her head and the morbid screaming of dying men filled her ears...

She forgot that night in Caracas many years ago, mainly because it wasn't funny.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Venezuela 2009:<strong>_

_"Operation Arrow: The United States Attempt to stop Venezuela's extreme left from launching a coupe and seizing the two Russian Typhoon Class Ballistic Missile Submarines docked temporary in Maracaibo. Acosta's plan was to seize power in Venezuela, Close the boarders, and intern the Submarines to use them against American Bases in the Caribbean and possible on the United states as retribution for the occupation of the country in 2008. Following the return to order later that year, the Venezuelan Red Army laded in wait til the early hours of 1st June 2009 to begin seizing Government installations and Military posts in the Northern Half of the country. Things seemed to be going well for Acosta's coup d'etat until we burst through the front door of her estate in North Caracas. Things were going well until one of Acosta's bodyguards caught a glimpse of your Joker tattoo on your back..."_

Bullets whizzed by Harley's head as Acosta's elite guard blazed away with AK-47 assault rifles as the remaining members of Alpha Team, Karl and Herself, retreated though the lavish villa under heavy fire. Her gleeful cries of joy echoed through the halls as she fires on Acosta's men with a TEC-9 machine pistol. The joyful glees only served to piss Karl off as he fired a captured, heavily customized, RPK light machine gun from the hip to suppress the onslaught of Acosta's guards. Well placed bursts down the long hallways halted the advance of the guards, buying them well needed time as they fell back to the rear portion of the Villa.

"WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Harley squealed as she cartwheeled down the large double stair case as Karl fired his weapon at the incoming guards below mowing them down in a hail of bullets.

"War is a serious business bitch!" Karl shouted at Harley as he ran down the stares with the heavy machine gun.

Harley rolled to a stop and put a couple of extra bullets in the wounded before sticking her tongue out at him. "Don't call me that Fritzy! I'm a lady ya know!" She replied in a childish tone.

"I think my word is a better description." He chuckled as he switched out the drum magazine for another as the barking of Spanish from VZ reinforcements coming in from the capital. From what Spanish he could comprehend, Acosta was calling in the entire Battalion of eight hundred men to lock down the city and the Villa to prevent their escape.

Before she could reply the sound of a screaming motor turned their attention to the large double door.

"MOVE!" Karl shouted shoving Harley aside just at the right moment as two Tiuna armored cars crashed through the doorway and quickly began firing their KORD .50 caliber machine guns at anything and anyone who was wearing the digital woodland uniform of Acosta's personal guard. Karl threw himself over Harley protecting her from the shrapnel and debris from the heavy caliber assault. She pushed him aside just enough to see a shower of lightening hot .50 caliber cartridges fell on to his back. Though his long coat and exoskeleton protected from bullets and shrapnel, the hot brass pressed against his neck and burned through his coat. He held his tongue as the hot brass cooked his skin and the baseball sized chunks of marble rained on him for a agonizing minute until a brutal silence took over the Villa. Harley looked around for only a few seconds before a heavy combat boot knocked Karl over the barrels of six US Government Issued M4 carbines were trained on both of them by black clad commandos of the Navy SEAL or DELTA variety.

"Hey whats the deal!?" Harley shouted until she was zip tied cuffed by the bulky commandos.

"Classified I'm guessing, _Ja_?" Karl replied sarcastically. "Isn't that right-"

A commando, the team leader from what Harley could tell by the way he carried himself, struck him with the butt of his rifle jarring the Black hunter. Through the rifle butt to the face shut his big mouth the TL took him by the collar and started speaking to him in German. From what she could tell he was brash, young, and over all reckless by the way he spoke, but the way he carried himself spoke louder than he ever could. The arrogance in his step, the pompousness air around him, and the dominant way he handled himself showed Harley that this man was on par with her enemy, later turned lover, Batman. The TL's face was covered with a face mask decorated with a skull, hiding his identity from her. But by the way Karl replied he knew the man and knew him well...

The Commando threw him against the Tiuna and motioned for his men to take Harley into the car. Karl didn't object and entered the car without second guessing himself. With in seconds the two armored cars rushed out of the Villa and out of the compound to the Highway heading toward Maracaibo. A solid hour of silence held over the car until reaching the bridge heading into the city of Maracaibo.

"SITREP." The TL told Karl.

"Stalnoivolk, Outlaw, and Wildcat are dead. Deathstroke, Deadshot, and King shark are..."

"The submarines are gone and so are they. Waller called in the big guns to clean up your mess." The TL replied rudely.

"You should have stayed out of the way. I could have killed the bitch myself if the clown case didn't get us made." Karl shorted as he lit a cigarette. "The three were killed coming in, just like Waller wanted and you better make sure she gets my bonus for that little piece of wet work. The other three are more promising for extra work, There will be a lot of work if the CIA starts digging its claws into this war torn hellhole just like Korea. But I diagress, I got the records for you regarding our little transaction out of the country... Speaking of which if they are out of this country, where are they taking the subs?"

"Classified." Karl and the TL said at the same time.

"I could say a list of places of the top of my head if you want." Karl told him.

"Why dont cha count da crazy voices in ya head!" Harley replied giggled from rear.

The two looked at her with hate filled eyes until one of the commandos grabbed her by the pigtails and slammed her face against the floor.

"Be gentle," The TL told the muscle bound commando. "Waller wants her alive."

"Wha-" Harley blurted as a sedative needle stuck into her neck. "Wha-wh-Wowzzers! This is-is- Better than the Ar-Ark..."

"Better than Arkham?" Karl laughed. "Didn't think those words would ever come together, eh?"

"Stop playing around." The voice of Waller came over a radio. "Lennox I need a SITREP when you get back to Washington. We have a situation in the works regarding some internal affairs."

"Len-n-OX?" Harley replied as she slowly drifted into dreamland...

* * *

><p><em><strong>Present Day:<strong>_

_"_Wait Lennox was with Amanda Waller?" Harley blurted out in surprise.

"Fucking Lennox wasn't just running with the Wall," Karl replied contemptuously. "But with every Black Order in the USA, Europe, and the world over as a mercenary. I knew Lennox when he was nothing but a fresh F.N.G coming outta the Marine Corps, back when he had morality or a fucking soul. Venezuela was only out of many Op I ran with him... Back when he went by Lennox. But you know him by a different name, eh?"

"Arkham Knight..." Harley replied.

"Bingo doll face." Karl replied. "But you know his real name. I know you do and I know Bruce knows by now. Took him long enough, or should I say Oracle took long enough. Intercepting their com link wasn't any trouble until she fried my communications and my new Exoskeleton's motherboard." He smirked with a dark chuckle. "The girl doesn't like it when you play with her toys..."

The elevator screeched to a halt throwing the two to the floor as the lights flickered around them. "Shit." Harley spat aloud.

_It's Bruce... He did that..._ She thought to herself gravely.

"This fucking place is falling apart piece by piece because of my rosebud. It's a shame really to see this place in such disrepair." The Black Hunter uttered mournfully as he came to his feet in the darkness. Harley was a little disturbed at his reply, but her worries were more set on finding her weapon instead. She searched through the dark for what seemed to be an eternity before a bright light appeared above her and the muzzle of a pistol pointed directly at her. Before she could react he had cocked the hammer back on the one hundred year old pistol. The sound, that simple sound of a spring load piece of stamped metal being held back by a small piece of metal, shook her to the core.

The sound was death... Held by the Angel of Death himself.

"You dropped this." Karl told her as he flipped the pistol around and handed it to her. "A weak little girl like you needs something to protect herself in this bleak and hostile world."

His brutality in combat was only surpassed by his arrogance, his over inflated sense of heroics, and his pompousness. The Black Hunter was a joke to her, the biggest joke since The Joker himself came into her life. The Joke was simple, He's trying to be a Bruce Wayne, a Batman in his own right. What a Joke! This sick fiend takes lives as fast as he smoke those terrible Marlboro red cigarettes of his. Bullets, Bombs, Blunt objects, or Bare hands, he never had a preference as long it killed people. With her time with Bruce Harley learned why killing never solved any of his problems. Just the sight of a dead body or even the idea of one sickened her to the core.

How could he take the lives of so many and still have the audacity to keep feeding the heavens fresh souls of the innocent and the guilty?

How could he sleep at night knowing he was nothing but a mad dog killer working for the highest bidder?

How could he call her weak after everything she's been through?...

"I ain't weak." She snorted as the rage built up in her chest.

"I beg to differ, but that would take to much time and we don't have much time with Batman at our heels now do we?"

"Fuck off Karl." Harley replied, snatching the gun out of his hand.

"Whatever." Karl replied as he looked for a way out of the elevator. "Lennox and I knew each other way back when, but he and I drifted away after I went freelancing after my time in _Hoeryong_ Gulag. I wasn't really in the right of mind and he was more worried about Batman at the time. Something about a score he had to settle..."


End file.
